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Comment by motohagiography | Hacker News Reader

absolutely amazing explanation that provides a lot of etymology for words and ideas for people interested in sailing as well. what a pleasure to watch.

was saddened by the ending abasement and skipping the last minute of the video leaves you with a nicer memory of it. (the end comment uses the whole thing as a vehicle for a genuflection about the "sordid" history of the sailing tech. really, don't be so humble, you aren't that great.) Otherwise, what an absolutely fantastic project!

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I don't think the intent was to use the video as a vehicle to make some political point, since he hasn't for any of his other videos. So I think this one had what you mention just as a ass-cover to preempt any anybody getting overly sensitive and trying to accuse him of making the opposite sort of political point.

It's not like he ends with a lecture to educate people about what happened, he just makes it known with brief and general language that he's knows some bad shit happened and he's not glorifying those acts. Somebody who was clueless about all of it would more or less remain so; it's a message directed towards people who are already familiar with the subject and might conceivably be offended by his video if he didn't include the end bit.

it was an amazing video. I was sad the author felt the need to pre-empt that sort of criticism as acknowleding it just encourages it. I commented as a way to offset its impact and recognize that it's not normal, no matter how contrived the efforts are to affect it, in the hope others take heart. Even if the author were instead absolutely committed to that whole narrative and my comment clashed with that, I'd still say it's contrived and taints a really beautiful exposition.

it's like performing a Bach piece and ending with, "...and he was probably a racist too." it's degrading to the art, and I don't think anyone is served by self abasement like that.

Wow, I feel like you have to have incredibly thin skin to be offended by the one or two sentences acknowledging the legacy of what these ships were principally used for. Bach's music's principal purpose wasn't to further racism.

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